Construction has begun on a 4-story vertical tower expansion at Cullman Regional in Cullman, Alabama. The tower expansion is part of a $30 million overall hospital expansion project being built by Birmingham, Alabama based Doster Construction Company that will significantly increase the hospital’s bed capacity from 145 to 175 and double the size of the hospital’s critical care unit.
The workhorse of the tower expansion is a 130-foot ballasted tower crane used to place the steel foundation and framing to extend the hospital’s west bed tower by 84 feet, which will enable the hospital to add 13 new critical care and 12 medical/surgical patient rooms. The tower expansion also includes previously completed renovations to existing spaces which created five additional beds for a total of 30 new beds.
“It’s imperative that North Alabama healthcare systems like Cullman Regional invest in facilities, technology and talent to meet the future healthcare needs of our rapidly growing region,” said Cullman Regional CEO James Clements. “We’re thankful for a visionary Healthcare Authority Board that believes in our hospital, and for our partners in progress – Doster and TRO.”
Also included in the $30 million hospital expansion, Doster will complete construction on the hospital’s emergency department (ED) this summer. The project will feature a larger, more modern patient lobby and increase ED capacity by 80 percent. Both the ED Expansion and Vertical Expansion projects were designed by TRO Jung Brannen Architects.
“We’re excited to partner with Cullman Regional Medical Center and TRO again to expand their healthcare campus,” said Doster Operations Manager Brad Mitchell. “The new patient tower will provide Cullman, and surrounding communities, more opportunity in seeking immediate healthcare attention, while enhancing the capabilities to which Cullman Regional can perform daily.”
